Story:Kings of Strife/Part 12
Part Twelve Once again, Vik found himself running for his life. Only this time, he didn’t get very far at all. Even though he was going at his top speed, Vik only managed to run down a few steps before a blur in black cut him off. Instinctively the Nneonian soldier continued to run and reached into his belt for a knife, one of the few weapons he had on his person still. Vik raised his arm with intentions to swing and cut the shadow in front of him right in their neck, but once again found himself outsped. The man in front of him had a knife in his own hand, already going in the same direction with intentions to block Vik’s attack. He was moving even faster than Vik was, with no unnecessary movements or distractions. ‘Only trained fighters are fast enough to move like that,’ Vik rapidly realized. ‘And only good ones are skilled enough to know how to block a good knife attack safely… Who am I dealing with here?’ He gave the man a quick once over, but his eyes couldn’t help but gravitate to the man in black’s face. There, beneath flowing black bangs, Vik saw a pair of narrow, dead eyes with irises of pure black. He had almost the same aura of power and fearlessness as the Black Knight, but nowhere near as powerful. Still, the man had the aura of a killer. If Vik wasn’t careful, he could die here. The knife attack was going to fail, but the man in black was already in position to block it and counterattack – so Vik evaded him. Kicking his feet on the pavement beneath him as quickly as he could, Vik used his momentum to duck downwards and vault to the side, escaping the enemy’s sphere of influence and keeping himself in motion. Although he almost tripped over his own feet in the process, the Nneonian soldier was fleeing again in less than a second. A moment later, he found himself falling to the ground face-first. Something had hit the back of his legs, something quick and hard. It wasn’t a sword, and he wasn’t bleeding, but it hurt. Vik attempted using the inertia from his fall to roll and start running again, but his legs immediately throbbed with such pain that his intended movement faltered, and when he opened his eyes to move again, Vik found the same skinny blade pointing right at his forehead. “I’ll say it again,” a voice said from behind Vik, “Take another step and you die.” The Nneonian soldier took a moment to catch his breath and think of his next move – and he dropped his knife. Both of his hands went up in the air, palms out and fists open. It was a gesture of surrender. He couldn’t escape, and judging by the skills he had just witnessed, he would likely lose in a real fight to whoever was pursuing him. Vik looked over the person in front of him with the sword pointed between his eyes. The person was female, Vik quickly realized, and she had a long wooden sheath in her free hand that the skinny blade likely slid perfectly into. ‘She must have hit my legs with that.’ The woman was of average height and had very pale skin to go along with her wavy blond hair and emotionless red eyes. They were almost the same as the man in black, but where that man looked like a careless killer, this woman just seemed… heartless, or etherized. ‘This day just keeps getting better and better.’ The man in black walked in front of Vik nonchalantly with his long sword propped on his shoulder. Now that Vik had given up, the man didn’t seem to be on edge at all, and even his eyes lost their sharp pallor. Now he just appeared tired and careless. Vik couldn’t help but look him over with disdain, especially over his odd weapon. ‘Is that a sword… With a trigger and a barrel on it? What the hell?’ The woman still pointing a blade to Vik’s face spoke once her partner was close to her. “Now that the Hero has surrendered, there is no need to threaten him with death.” “Yeah, yeah, maybe. Is this really the guy you’ve been talking about, though?” The man in black looked Vik up and down with a noticeable scowl, almost as if he was disgusted. “Kinda disappointed.” “I’m right here, asshole!” “Coulda fooled me. Stand up already. We know you’re not running anywhere, if you’re smart.” Vik frowned but followed the orders of the man in front of him. What did this talk of ‘Hero’ mean? Were these people with Ouroboros? If so, they were probably the ones on lookout to make sure he didn’t escape. “You don’t have to do any of this,” Vik said from beneath his brow. “I wasn’t trying to escape. I’ll go back to the hotel, if you want.” The man in black looked up at Vik with confusion. “What are you talking about? You clearly tried to run away from us.” “You pointed a sword at my neck! What sane person wouldn’t run from that?!” Vik retorted angrily, but the swordsman in black wasn’t even paying attention to him anymore. He and the shorter woman with sword and sheath were in a conversation, as if they had no cares in the world or any concerns with Vik’s safety. The sword was still pointed right at Vik’s throat, though, and he knew if he moved a muscle, both of them would likely cut him down. ‘What kind of people are these?’ “So we’ve got two of the three now. What’s next?” The black swordsman appeared irritated and impatient. His partner was anything but. She was still just as composed and emotionally steady. “The next hero is north of here, at Zeta Academy. We must finish our business here quickly so that we can go and find them, as well.” "Zeta Academy? Isn’t that the school for spoiled rich kids?” The swordsman scoffed. “Sounds boring. When do we get to kill the Serpent Knights?” Vik froze. “What did you say?” The swordsman looked to Vik with a frown, as if he had been caught speaking by someone he forgot was there. “…Nothing.” “It’s alright, Silverius. We can tell him… he knows. The Hero of Flame has already encountered a Serpent Knight before.” “What?!” The warrior named Silverius gave Vik another examination, now apparently surprised and respectful. “You fought a Serpent Knight and survived? Maybe you’re stronger than I thought.” “No.” Vik frowned. “I escaped. That Knight in Black… he killed my friends. So I swore I’d kill him and avenge them.” He gave the two in front of him a cursory glance as well. “So I’m assuming you two aren’t with Ouroboros, if you want to kill their Knights. Who are you? What’s your deal?” The blond female finally lowered her blade and sheathed it with a flash of light from the steel. “We are Cidolas Teftah. We seek the Crystals and their chosen Heroes so that we may save the world and prevent a destiny of war.” “Huh?” Vik lowered his arms and couldn’t help his brow from wrinkling in confusion. “You both have the same name…? How many Crystals are out there? Who are these Heroes?” Silverius shook his head and sighed. “I don’t get a word she says either. My name is Silverius, and I want to kill every Serpent Knight there is. They took someone very important from me.” He looked Vik in the eyes fiercely – once again showcasing that glare of steel and bloodlust that almost froze Vik in his tracks just minutes ago. “If you want to take down the Serpent Knights, we’re here to help.” ***** Two hours later, Vik sat down in a bench in the central park of Straits City. Within minutes, he would be meeting with Hasey Troblum. With the help of Silverius and Cidolas, hopefully Vik would walk away with his life. The three had spent the past two hours planning and discussing details about each other, with the conclusion that they had no choice but to attend the meeting with Hasey and ambush him. The logistics were difficult to pin down, considering no one knew the extent of Hasey’s true strength or who he would bring with him, but it was the best option any of them had. Vik found himself biting his lip as he thought over everything that had happened this morning. Silverius, the swordsman in black, was apparently once a member of the criminal organization ‘Ouroboros’ – proving that the group did indeed exist and that they had roots worldwide. What was troubling was the fact that even Silverius, a former member of the so-called Serpent Society who was once on the verge of being promoted, knew nothing of the group’s top ranks or its actual goals. The organization had three primary ranks of operatives. The largest and lowest group, simple unnamed members, were the large majority of the bounty hunters, rogues, thieves, and mercenaries that the organization employed. (Silverius was once a part of this group for about five years, Vik was told.) Above them were ‘Scales’, members who wore ubiquitous dark green cloaks and were privy to high pay, confidential information, and an oath of eternal loyalty. These members were of much lesser number than the Members, and they were usually much stronger. (Silverius’ mission to steal his Crystal was his initiation mission for his application to become a Scale – and of course, he had failed it.) Above the Scales were the legendary Serpent Knights. Only a select few in the entire group knew they existed, and even Silverius had not heard of them until Cidolas informed him. As Vik could see from prior experience, the Serpent Knights were extremely terrifying, and most likely superhuman. The more answers he had received, the more questions Vik found himself formulating. How did Cidolas know all of this if even Silverius was ignorant? What was the point of a group that employed millions of crminials, and how was such a large private army basically unknown to the world? There were more than a handful of large-scale mercenary and rogue organizations in the world, but none to the extent of Ouroboros’ apparent power, and none that dared to steal ancient artifacts. For some reason, Ouroboros’ involvement with the Crystals terrified Vik. Something, probably his instincts, told him that they weren’t looking to acquire them solely for monetary value. ‘But what else would a group of mercenaries need with objects like these?’ ‘And why does it feel like the Crystals have some sort of… power?’ Silverius had spoken of how he experienced boosted reflexes and accelerated healing since he stole his Crystal. After fighting ‘The Crimson Death’, an infamous warrior who apparently had a kill count in the thousands, Silverius told Vik how he had been cut from throat to waist – and survived. There wasn’t even a scar remaining from the mortal wound. That was an obvious parallel to Vik’s own experience. ‘My hand. My head.’ He should have been permanently crippled and probably brain-damaged, if not dead, after his wounds acquired from the skirmish with the Black Knight. Yet Vik was perfectly fine with nothing but a small scar on his eyebrow to show for it. ‘No matter how I look at it, it makes no sense. The human body isn’t capable of feats like that, especially not in just three days.’ Briefly Vik remembered the moment he first touched the Crystal, deep in the insides of Mount Gulg. How it felt like his entire body was melting and evaporating off his bones, and how the mountain seemed disturbed after he retrieved the artifact. This was a mystery he couldn’t figure out even if he spent hours pondering it. ‘What sort of power does the Crystal have? And what would a terrifying group like Ouroboros want with power like that?’ The possibilities were endless… and horrific. “You seem like you have a lot on your mind!” Hasey’s voice ripped Vik out of his thoughts and he visibly jumped. The Nneonian soldier looked up and saw Hasey walking up to the park bench he was sitting on, a joyous smile on his youthful face. Hasey was wearing the same clothes as before and generally looked identical. The only difference was his face – it was just as mature as before, but he had a decidedly immature smile and a look of innocence. It was like he was a flower returned back to its prime by a good night’s sleep. Vik nodded as Hasey sat next to him and cleared his throat. “I suppose. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” “That’s understandable. How do you like Straits City, so far?” It was a dirty city with a sticky, sweaty atmosphere and noticeable slums and ghettos, almost as if the population didn’t bother to take any care of themselves. “It’s a beautiful place,” Vik lied. “I’d love to visit again sometime.” “It’s no paradise, but it is a nice town to relax in when not in a mission.” Hasey looked over to Vik with a carefree laugh. “I get the feeling you don’t travel often.” “…Well, you’re not wrong.” Vik avoided eye contact with Hasey and struggled with the feelings of unease in his chest. ‘I’m being too suspicious. Just stay calm and wait for things to progress naturally. Right…’ All he had to do was stay in his position and not give away any sort of indication that he had a plan or knew of Hasey’s intentions. Fooling someone by playing the part of a fool… it would have been a fun game, if his life wasn’t on the line. ‘My life, and everyone I love. This is more than just a game. I just hope I can trust Silverius and that odd one, Cidolas…’ “Do you mind answering a few questions for me, Vik?” Hasey leaned back and put his arms on the back of the bench, allowing his bangs to frame around his heart-shaped face as he looked up to the sky. “Um… sure.” Vik’s frown deepened. ‘Why does it feel like I’ve heard all this before?’ “What do you think happens to us after we die?” “…I never took you for the philosophical type, Hasey.” The boy laughed. “Neither did I. But every flower has to wilt someday, you know?” He smiled, but from a sideways glance, Vik could tell that there was no real happiness or contentment in Hasey’s stone gray eyes. “Someone once told me that life is just a cycle. We live, we die, and then we live again. Only... we’re not the same, afterwards.” “That sounds like a pretty religious person. I don’t follow much religion. Sorry.” Hasey shrugged. “It’s fine, but he really isn’t religious… not at all.” The boy paused for a while and his gaze never moved from the skies. Vik glanced upwards to see what he was missing, but noticed nothing but the normal azure skies and melancholy gray clouds. He was brought back to earth when Hasey spoke again – “The flower, when picked, lets loose its pollen and its line survives onward. Can that really be called living ‘again’?” “I wish I knew. It doesn’t seem quite right, though.” The Nneonian crossed his arms and, despite himself, wrinkled his brow in thought. “I never really put much thought into what happens after this life. Maybe I’ve always been too busy trying to figure things out in the present that I never imagined a future.” “How narrow-minded of you… But, the more that I think about it, the more that sounds just like you, Vik.” Hasey looked over to the older Nneonian for the first time and flashed a toothy smile. “What is it you want most in your life?” Vik looked down at his dirty boots for a long, long moment. His thoughts were completely empty with only one goal in mind – a short term one, at that. “To be forgiven,” he finally said. Hasey tilted his head without comprehension. “Forgiven for what?” ‘Being born. Failing my mother, my father, and my friends. Leaving my sister behind. Leaving my country behind. Not being good enough.’ There were so many answers that rifled through Vik’s mind, but he delicately chose one that omitted all details of his past. It was better that way. “Hubris. An excessive pride or arrogance that comes with my very existence.” “…Hm. Now you’re the one who sounds religious, Vik.” “Is the difference between religion and morality that different, after all?” Vik sighed and looked up at the sky once more. “I couldn’t say. My household never had any books on the sort, and it’s not exactly the kind of thing they teach in my line of work.” “I see.” Hasey nodded as if the answer to some problem was suddenly clear to him. “Vik, have you ever fallen in love?” “What?” “Love. Have you found yourself loving someone before? Not just your family, I mean… Nevermind, they can count, I suppose. Well? Have you?” “…Well, yes. Of course I have.” Hasey laughed and rubbed the skin under his nose. “That’s the answer I expected from you, one hundred percent. It feels like I’ve known you for years, even though we’ve only been traveling together for, what, a few weeks? Funny how these things work, huh?” “Yeah… I guess so. Neither of us really seem to have a clue, huh?” Vik found himself lightly laughing and meeting Hasey’s gaze. How odd he found this situation; how ambivalent he felt, just for a moment, on Hasey’s true morality. ‘This moment seems almost… peaceful.’ That left only one question in Vik’s mind. ‘Am I allowed to experience peace, here in this moment, without my goals accomplished?’ This was not the question Vik asked next. “Well, what about you, Hasey? Have you ever loved someone? Even if it’s your family?” The question prompted only a long sigh from the boy as he lowered his head. The shadows from his bangs obscured his eyes and he shook his head slightly with a laugh. “Who said I was done asking the questions, Vik?” Another laugh escaped from the boy as he stood up and put his hands into the pockets of Vik’s oversized fur coat. “I’m beginning to see where you’re coming from when you say ‘hubris’.” Vik frowned and looked at the back of the mysterious boy. “What…? What else do you want to ask me, and why does it have to come before my question? Is it really that serious?” “Yes, Vik. It is that serious.” The boy’s tone suddenly dropped and became deathly serious, and Vik shuddered. What felt like bloodlust started to radiate off the slumped shoulders of the navy-haired youth. “…But fine. I’ll take care of your question first, if you really want. The answer is no. I have never loved anyone else in my life.” Vik froze. ‘No. No, no, no…’ He could feel his heart dropping down into his stomach. The worst possible scenario was coming true right in front of his eyes. ‘I was right, the entire time.’ “My next question will be my last, don’t worry. So, Vik. What were you doing in Mount Gulg that day you met me?” Hasey let out another laugh as he turned to look down at Vik, and the Nneonian soldier found himself immediately entranced by the boy’s gaze. No longer did the sky, the grassy plains, or the dense forest in front of him draw his eyes. Now, Hasey’s eyes glowed bright golden from beneath his long, silky bangs, and held onto Vik’s very soul. “You might want to choose your words carefully.” A black blur rushed out of the forest and jumped into the air at that very second. A thin line of silver flashed beneath the sunlight as Silverius slashed his sword right down towards Hasey’s neck – but in that same moment, he flew back towards the ground. As quickly as he had appeared, Silverius found himself repelled from the boy in the oversized fur coat by a force that was almost invisible. As Silverius tumbled to the ground with a frustrated yelp, Hasey rose an eyebrow and his smile widened. “You didn’t say you brought any guests, Vik. You’re cleverer than I thought!” “You… You’re a Serpent Knight, aren’t you? That man in black armor was working with you the whole time… The man who killed all of my friends!” Vik was terrified and frozen in horror after he saw that Silverius was repelled, but upon having his worries confirmed, the Nneonian soldier felt hot rage bubbling up in his chest and rushing through his veins. His large hands curled into tight fists as they rested on his legs. “I told you, I’m the one asking the questions.” Hasey tilted his head, maliciously this time. “Answer me. What were you doing in Mount Gulg?” “I think you know what I was doing. I’m not telling you anything.” Out of his peripheral vision, Vik noticed Silverius stand up and start rushing towards Hasey again, only to suddenly fly off his feet and flip to the side. He would have looked towards him with concern, but he couldn’t bear to pull himself away from Hasey’s stone gaze. Sweat began to fall down the Nneonian’s face, and his scar started to throb. His fear only grew exponentially as he felt a cold, slimy tendril-like object curl around his neck and crawl down his chest. Hasey righted his head and smiled widely with his teeth. “I’ll warn you once more. You might want to start telling the truth… or your death will be very, very agonizing.” "Wha… What is this? What do you all want with the Crystal?!” He tried to look over to Silverius once again, but found himself still unable to move. “And what the hell are you doing to me…?!” “Right now, you’re experiencing firsthand the difference between you and I, as well as my comrades. My partner’s bladed chain is holding you in place right now, and this power…” Hasey pointed at his glowing eyes with a devilish grin. “These are the Eyes of the Tyrant. You could never hope to achieve such power. Such magnificence. It is beyond your reach!” Vik grit his teeth. ‘He’s right. I can’t move my eyes away from him no matter how hard I try. Is this the true power of the Serpent Knights? What could be giving them such an advantage?’ Hasey continued with the same self-confident smile on his insincere face. Behind him, Vik could hear the sounds of a vicious bladed battle – and it sounded like more than two blades were involved. ‘Cidolas must have gotten involved,’ Vik thought. ‘Is it another Serpent Knight they’re fighting? Damn, what’s going on!?’ “That look in your eyes… I love it. It must be tormenting you to know that you can’t move or even look away without someone being ruthlessly ripped apart, hm? Yes… Yes, continue to squirm! Continue to balk at the chasm between us!” Before Vik’s eyes, Hasey’s face contorted into a mask of sadistic pleasure and almost orgasmic joy. “This is the only thing I love. This moment! That look! It could only get better from here!” ‘Is this guy for real?’ Vik could only stare at his jailer with increasing revulsion. How could such a sadistic and disturbed person be hidden for so long? Never in their entire time together had Hasey ever demonstrated such behavior or even a hint of it. Were all the Serpent Knights such ridiculously insane people? ‘This is something I can exploit. I can use this as a strength… If only I were a little bit stronger!’ A slight twitch of the eyes. An instant’s movement. That’s all Vik needed to overpower the undulating boy in front of him, but he couldn’t muster up even that energy. Not with the disturbing tendril crawling into his shirt and around his neck, and not with the twin suns of madness boring into his soul. “Ahaha… I’m getting too carried away…!” Hasey ran his hands over his face and pulled lightly on his hair as if to bring himself down to earth. It worked; the effect was slight, but the Serpent Knight appeared to have his wits returned to him. “Like I was saying… I need to know what you were doing in Mount Gulg. You tell me right now, or you will not enjoy the consequences.” Vik growled. “Consequences? Like what?” He began to quickly formulate an idea – perhaps he could take advantage of Hasey’s instability after all. “Kill me and get it over with, then. Finish this.” He looked up to the boy and smirked. The Serpent Knight paused and furrowed his brow. The bait was taken… “And end the game early? I don’t think so. And besides, we were all told not to kill you. Not yet, anyway.” Hasey wasn’t going for Vik’s bluff… but what he said was a crucial bit of information that Vik did not miss out on. “No, I’ll do much worse… I’ll torture you and your friends. I can make your skin boil from the inside out, and your internal organs rot, and give you a pain worse than death. And don’t forget… I can hurt the people you love.” Vik froze. ‘No…’ Hasey erupted in a vicious laugh, Vik’s mental answer already clear to him. “Yes!! You think the death of your weak little squad members was some kind of coincidence or tragic result of colatteral damage? As if. We are the Serpent Society… we move with precise strikes that you can never forsee. We have eyes on your entire family. I wonder how sweet little Rosaria will look when my partner and I…” “No! That’s enough! Please… Please…! I’ll tell you everything! Just leave her out of this!” Vik visibly shook and his muscles tightened from the force he was exerting in anger. He wanted to reach out and strangle the boy in front of him with all his might… but even that was not enough. The Nneonian still could not move, not with Hasey’s stone gaze and the slimy weapon wound tight against his throat. Vik began to tear up from frustration. “I was looking for the Crystal. I had to find it so that I could cripple your plans!” Hasey took a step closer and licked his lips. “There it is. I was wondering when your resilience would break. For a soldier you really are quite vulnerable, you know?” He caressed the side of Vik’s face, and the soldier recoiled with revulsion. “Beautiful. And which plans were you trying to thwart, exactly?” Vik sniffed. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know what you all want with it, but my team and I were getting close to the answer. We figured out that you all needed the Crystal, and just before we reached a vital piece of information… They…” “Right, they were slaughtered like the pigs they were. I know all about that. How did you know the Crystal was in Mount Gulg?” “I… I didn’t. It was an instinctual feeling I had, so I went for it. I only found the Crystal by luck… and then I found you.” Vik frowned and sniffed. ‘Some luck.’ “Interesting. Well, I suppose that’s all I need to hear. You know what’s next, don’t you?” Hasey let out a sigh of deep relief, as if he had reached a sort of climax and was coming down on a feeling of emotional high. “Hand over the Crystal, and I promise I’ll let you and your friends live.” No. Vik couldn’t believe what was going on. ‘This is the absolute worst case scenario…’ He might live, yes, but what was the point when Hasey had him completely on the ropes? Silverius and Cidolas were still fighting in the background of Vik’s hearing, but their sword clashes were slowing down. They were losing steam fast – Vik had to do something, even if the only “something” he could do was surrender. Even if he lost the Crystal, it would be possible to retrieve it with Cidolas and Silverius on his side, right? No matter what, he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he was by himself again, not without any more leads on Ouroboros and their goals. ‘I can’t let this end here…’ Even if it meant giving up a temporary gift, Vik couldn’t let his crusade end like this. “Fine. Fine… I’ll give you the Crystal.” Hasey’s smile shrunk into a petite, dark smirk. He had the look of a predator that had successfully torn a bite into its cornered prey. “Go ahead. Give it to me.” Right then, Vik moved and reached for the Crystal in his backpack, all without thought or his eyes straying from Hasey’s. Oddly, his movements were completely smooth and involuntary, as if his body was moving on its own without any input from his mind. Or perhaps – his actions were being controlled by Hasey and a sort of mystical influence from ocular contact. ‘Either way, I’ve lost.’ When Hasey held the bright scarlet fist-sized jewel in his hand, he smiled deeply and closed his eyes in satisfaction. Vik was no longer under his power at that point, but he still did not move or even flinch. He only lowered his head in defeat. There was no point in fighting back, not against an enemy he could not defeat, and not after he had already surrendered. “You’re blooming quite nicely, Vik. I like you.” Hasey caressed Vik’s face for a final time before taking a step backwards. “I hope we get to play again sometime. It was fun!” He laughed obnoxiously before snapping his fingers. “V8, I got what we came for!” Instantly Vik felt the slimy tendril swim up from his chest and away from his neck. He was free, and when he looked up at Hasey, the odd black appendage was gone. In its place was a woman walking towards Hasey, her features indistinguishable from the massive blue robes trailing on the floor behind her and obscuring all but a few strands of long black hair. From the fabric parts that covered her arms, two long strings of black chains dangled down and trailed on the ground. Hasey turned to the figure and smiled. “He gave it up without much of a fight at all. Come on, we’d better get back and tell the Leader about this.” In response, the mysterious figure in the navy robe only nodded – or rather, their hood nodded. What sounded like a low female voice trailed out from the darkness beneath the robes, but it was hard to tell. Nonchalantly, as if he were simply leaving a restaurant having paid for his food, Hasey started to walk away from the clearing. The robed figure followed; Vik could only sit where he was and stare at the two Ouroboros agents with a sullen visage. Cidolas stood watching the two, sword and sheath in her hand. Only Silverius, picking himself up from the ground with a growl. “Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not through with you yet!” The black-clad mercenary ran towards the retreating Ouroboros members with his gunblade high in the air, ready to strike. Vik could only observe. A moment before Silverius could get close enough to attack, the figure in navy turned and raised a hand towards him. Their chains continued to dangle on the floor, and the robe obscured the figure’s fingers, but their expression and body language was clear: they were holding out a hand to stop Silverius in his tracks. The mercenary faltered but otherwise continued to run, at least until the mysterious figure spoke. “Follow us, and I’ll make you watch as I rip your lover to pieces.” Silverius didn’t take another step. As the Ouroboros warriors turned and left, he could only drop his sword on the ground and raise his eyes to the skies. ...End of Part Twelve. <- Previous Page | Main Page | Next Page ->